Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Anja Kuehnis

Lincoln High School

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
955 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

351

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

8.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

42

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

44

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

264

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

30

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

43

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Anja's actions

Buildings and Cities

Replace Manual Thermostats

#57 Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

#5 Tropical Forests

I will replace or remove products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Nutrient Management

#65 Nutrient Management

I will buy from organic and local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 2 meal(s) from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Upgrade My Windows

#31 Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Plan to Insulate

#31 Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore), #8 Solar Farms

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 8 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Choose Better Wood Products

#38 Forest Protection

I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 12 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 1.97 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Fix Leaky Faucets

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?

Anja Kuehnis 4/25/2018 8:57 AM

Have plants in the garden that can stand the drought so that they don't need to be watered as often, turn the water off when brushing teeth or shampooing in the shower

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Eliminate Toxic Plastics

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Anja Kuehnis 4/25/2018 8:56 AM

Vegetable bags, instead I could use a mesh bag that I can bring with me multiple times and wash in between

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?

Anja Kuehnis 4/25/2018 8:56 AM

Over fertilizing damages a lot of the local water systems, I can buy food from sustainable places, small farmers and also support environmentally conscious companies

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Forest-Friendly Foods 2

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?

Anja Kuehnis 4/25/2018 8:53 AM

it wasn't that hard because I have paid attention to it before so it wasn't really that big of a change

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Support Local Food Systems

Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these advantages inspire you the most?

Anja Kuehnis 4/25/2018 8:52 AM

dependable fresh food

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Upgrade My Windows

How does improving your home's energy efficiency help you better live out your values?

Anja Kuehnis 4/25/2018 8:51 AM

I won't need as much energy which is causing pollution so it makes my footprint smaller, it also saves money in the long run which I can use to buy food or products that are environmentally friendly but more expensive

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Choose LED Bulbs

Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! What's next?

Anja Kuehnis 4/25/2018 8:50 AM

Turning the heat down

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Replace Manual Thermostats

How do you anticipate replacing your thermostats for smart ones will positively impact your life?

Anja Kuehnis 4/25/2018 8:49 AM

I wouldn't have to adjust the thermotat manually when the weather outside changes but the thermostat itself would set the temperature according to my preferences.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?

Anja Kuehnis 4/25/2018 8:48 AM

wage gap, representation in politics

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Plan to Insulate

How can you make your home more energy efficient?

Anja Kuehnis 4/17/2018 8:27 AM

Make sure that the windows are tight and don't let wind in. Add insulation to doors to make them shut tightly.

Read More